🔥 THESE 5 TEAMS ARE ELITE

A couple weekends ago, college lacrosse went through its own version of March Madness. Seven days after a thorough shake-up in the rankings, five teams are starting to separate themselves in The People’s Top 20.

Those five teams, as voted by The People, are Cornell, Maryland, Ohio State, Princeton and Notre Dame. See the full Top 20 below.

For the first time all year, the top five teams in this fan-voted poll match the top five teams in the media poll at Inside Lacrosse. The media poll at USA Lacrosse Magazine has the same teams in the top five, but Ohio State is still one spot ahead of Maryland.

The fact that all three of these polls are nearly identical is evidence that the dust is starting to settle on college lacrosse’s elite tier.

Cornell and Princeton look like serious contenders out of the Ivy League. Maryland has not left the top five all season, and Ohio State is the hottest team in the country with 10 consecutive wins…

…but is Notre Dame locked in as the only ACC team in the top five?

We’ll find out this weekend, when the Fighting Irish travel to Syracuse to play the No. 6 team in our weekly rankings. Since losing back-to-back games against Maryland and Ohio State, Notre Dame has picked up two straight wins against Michigan and Duke.

With a win at The Dome, the Irish would answer any lingering questions about their offensive efficiency. But if Syracuse is able to pull off a shocker, suddenly we’re talking about the Orange as serious National Championship contenders. That game is on ACC Network at 2 p.m. ET this Saturday and will be featured as TLN’s Game of the Week on social media.

Who are you picking to win the Notre Dame vs. Syracuse game this weekend? Let us know by replying to this email!

🔥 New Collection Drops Thursday!

Ladies and gentlemen, our new spring merchandise line is almost here. The NCAA Full Throttle Collection drops this Thursday at 12 p.m. ET. Check out the lineup below!

This collection will feature six iconic college programs: North Carolina, Virginia, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Syracuse and Maryland. We have all-new TLN Speedway Tees and TLN Pit Stop Hats for each team.

We may add to this collection in the future, so reply to this email with a team you’d like us to include!

⚔️ Jackson Eicher Wins Player of the Week

After falling to Patriot League rival Boston U in overtime, Army picked up an absolutely massive ACC win over UNC last weekend. Jackson Eicher scored six goals (and had one assist) in the 13-12 victory over the Tar Heels.

As a result, Eicher was named TLN Player of the Week.

In this game, Eicher showcased his full potential as a lethal time-and-room shooter. The Warrenton, Virginia native is currently tied for 6th in NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse with an average of 3.33 goals per game.

Army is now 8-1 with four Patriot League games left (at Colgate, at Navy, vs. Bucknell, vs. Loyola) before the conference tournament. Do the Black Knights have to run the table in order to make the NCAA Tournament? Last year, they finished 11-3 and were left out by the selection committee.

🎙️ Big Tasty Hops on the Podcast!

We have a BIG guest on the Mitchell Pehlke Lacrosse Show this week: Ohio State goalie Caleb Fyock, AKA “Big Tasty.”

Here’s a clip from 2024 where Fyock explains how he got his nickname:

Fyock, who has a save percentage of 62.9 percent (2nd best in D1) so far this season, is anchoring the defense of the hottest team in the nation. The Buckeyes currently boast the 8th ranked scoring defense (8.36 goals allowed/game) and are undefeated (10-0) when Fyock starts in net.

In the interview, we asked Fyock about his famous nickname, Ohio State’s success this season, and his raw feelings toward “that team up North.” Catch the full interview when the new episode drops on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. ET on TLN YouTube!

☘️ Notre Dame Football Supports Lacrosse

Searching for more evidence that lacrosse is the best crossover sport for football players in the spring? Look no further than Notre Dame, where the lacrosse team has won back-to-back National Championships and the football team recently played in a National Championship.

After spring practice on Saturday, Notre Dame football players went straight to Arlotta Stadium — still in uniforms and pads — to catch the fourth quarter of the lacrosse game against Duke.

Crossover athletes Jordan Faison and Matt Jeffery both scored a goal in Notre Dame’s 14-7 win over Duke. Fellow lacrosse/football player Tyler Buchner saw extensive time at defensive midfield, but did not record any individual statistics.

The Notre Dame lacrosse and football teams combined to win “Best Crossover” in the 2024 TLN End of Year Awards.

📺 College Lacrosse on TV!

Here’s the men’s D1 slate and watch links for this week, via Inside Lacrosse (all times Eastern):

Tuesday, April 1:
3 p.m. ET — Albany at Cornell (ESPN+)
7 p.m. ET — Lehigh at Princeton (ESPN+)

Wednesday, April 2:
*No D1 men’s games

Thursday, April 3:
*No D1 men’s games

Check your inbox on Friday for the full weekend slate!